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The Sleep Fairy has left our apartment. I’m not sure what we did to her (I hope it wasn’t my cooking), or what we could leave out (teeth? might she be a distant cousin of the Tooth Fairy? cookies and milk? maybe Santa can help with these things?) to lure her to come back but we were sleeping and now we are not sleeping and we miss it terribly. Also, getting to the end of sentences while still remembering what they were about when we started them.

My in-laws took pity on us last Saturday and invited our charge to notsleep at their place instead for the night. Of course, instead of pulling the shades and waking up a day and a half later, feeling a year and a half younger, we decided to host a brunch because apparently the only thing I miss more than sleep is entertaining friends. It was mostly a pot-luck, anyway, with Ess-a-Bagels, Russ & Daughter’s homemade cream cheese, various goodies from the Manhattan Fruit Exchange and a high chair that got relegated to cocktail ice bucket holding duties in the absence of its assigned toddler. I made thisbakedthing and also theseotherthings that might or might not show up in some silly old cookbook slated for 2012, and also, I made some oaty whole wheat maple syrup scones.

I’ve been on a cookbook buying tear lately, to the point that you only need to make the slightest suggestion that a cookbook is good and I’ll go out and buy it. This has happened recently in thecomments, which led to purchases of The Russian Heritage Cookbook and a used copy of The Cuisine of Hungary. This also happened recently over email, when I realized I didn’t own The Breakfast Book and immediately rectified that. And when Heidi at 101 Cookbooks mentioned The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery, the book looked so charming I had it in my hands before the week was out. It had been way too long since I curled up and simple read a cookbook, end to end, and this is a sweet one to tuck into. You’ll immediately want to go to the tea shop and bakery in Paris, and hang out with its creator, Rose Carrarini, who says she wanted to “dissolve the distinction between home and restaurant cooking”. I was personally excited to learn that she found most baked goods too sweet and to find that she incorporated a lot of whole grains into her baking without making a big fuss about the healthfulness of it. I think both things come in handy when you’re making breakfast.

What’s up with all the sweets? I know! I do strive for balance, usually alternating between the sweet and the not-sweet but you see, I’ve been working on the main courses for my cookbook for the last month and much of my dinner-ish energy is going there. Not to mention, I’m running out of ways to make dead-of-winter vegetables interesting! Spring, get here soon, will ya?

These maple syrup scones have oats, whole wheat flour and maple syrup but are just barely sweet yet not at all gritty with healthfulness. I think it’s the substantial amount of butter within. Of interest, most of my favorite scones have heavy cream in them; this one does not but it has nearly the same amount of butterfat due to the higher amount of butter.

About the weights: In this recipe, they’re provided by the book’s author, not me. They differ from what I’d measure in my own cups and spoons but you can feel safe following them just the same, as they work — I did.

Yield: The book suggests 10 to 12 but I made mine (ruler-measured! yes, I’m ocd!) their suggested size and only got 8.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a baking tray, or, if you’re me and your baking sheets are in horrendous condition, line them with un-buttered parchment paper.

Whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small dish, combine the milk and syrup, then add these liquid ingredients to the butter-flour mixture. By hand or with a rubber spatula, bring everything together to form a softish dough. If it feels too dry, add a little more milk but not enough that the dough is sticky. “The dough should not be stick at all,” the book admonishes.

On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough out until it is 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) tall. Using a 2-inch (5-cm) cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the prepared tray so that they almost touch. Glaze the tops with beaten egg and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly golden. The scones will stick together, so pull them gently apart when they’ve cooled a bit — pull-apart scones!

Serve warm. Also, you may find them stale the next day but your toddler may not care, so keep them around!

GAH! I absolutely love your recipes and make them all the time. This one looks wonderful, but for … maple. *sigh* I realize that I’m in a very small minority, but the fact is that the taste of maple just makes me shiver with oogies. Any suggestions for substitutions? Molasses? Brown sugar? I’ll ponder, but would love to hear your thoughts. And thanks, as always!

These look delicious in that “I could pretend they’re healthy and I would probably believe myself because I want to’ way and I think that’s all any of us need!
A pot luck brunch in our house would end in some mangy satsumas from the fruit bowl and half a box of coco pops so I admire you with a child, a life and pretty bagels!
Thanks for another great article.
X

I recently made Ina Garten’s recipe and fell in love with the soothing flavors. For a week, I woke up and ate them while drinking a cup of coffee and reading the NY Times. It was a wonderful way to start the day…

What a great hearty recipe for scones! I love the combination of whole wheat flour and oats – I feel like it would give the scones a great nutty flavor. I’m now dreaming of having these for my afternoon snack, spread with some blueberry preserves. :)

I love to sit and read cookbooks. My friends think I’m nuts. However, they fight over who gets to come eat at my house. Can’t wait to try these scones… it’s supposed to snow in Chicago tonight again, and those will taste yummy tomorrow morning as I scowl out the window!

YUM. I love scones but really have an aversion to overly sweet desserts, which is too common in the States. And Rose’s Breakfast-Lunch-Tea Rose Bakery cookbook is a staple on my shelf.

On a related note, I was looking for a yogurt cake recipe this week (in search of yet another not-too-sweet baked good) and stumbled upon your recipe. I did a mix between that and another recipe and found my new favorite cake. Thanks for all the inspiration!

Maple and oats are my favorite combination! I love the sky-high look of these. Thanks for taking the time for sharing this recipe when you are so busy! (And I can’t wait for your cookbook to add to my ever-growing collection!)

Did someone say something about a cookbook? Something about scones? Sorry, I got really distracted and fell into a bit of a daydream at the mention of the words Russ & Daughters. I think I might trade all the maple syrup here in New England for a seat at that brunch. Wonderful post, terrific-looking recipe.

This is a nice new version of a scone. I always stick to my buttermilk one, and have always been a little afraid of trying something new. So maybe the time has come to do try something new.. And healthy(ish)
About the cookbooks: What is it that makes us cook-junkies keep buying them? Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I always take a look at the cookbook section to see what’s new, and I way to often buy one. Even though I have so many recipes in my books at home I never even tried yet! And now you’ve set a new craving.. I want to find that rose bakery one!Thank you for sharing

I agree that most baked goods are too sweet. I will admit to loving the sweetness of the cream cheese pound cake. Its perfect. And I bet these scones are too. I’m guessing “thisbakedthing” and “theseotherthings” are supposed to be linked to something, but it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m guessing that thisbakedthing is the spinach and cheese strata, but I could be very wrong. I have no idea what theseotherthings are.

Deanna — Nope, I was just being mean and telling you about things I wasn’t sharing. They’re for the cookbook. Trust me, it’s hard to keep recipes I’m excited about under wraps for another year!

Since someone mentioned sticky buns — I’m going to shamelessly plug the best sticky bun I’ve probably ever eaten, which is at Peels on the Bowery and it’s made by pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon, who you might know from her blog Eggbeater. It manages to be perfect with a great caramelly base but not so sweet that your teeth hurt.

From Ess-a-Bagel, I have to plug the pumpernickel bagel which is nearly pitch black and shockingly pumpernickelish for a bagel.

I do adore scones. Last year on vacation in California I got the most delicious scones at the Beverly Hills Farmer’s Market of all places! They had big juicy golden raisins and pumpkin seeds and were flavored with a hint of lemon zest and anise. It took me a few tries to recreate them at home, but I think I eventually got them pretty close. My kids weren’t such a big fan of the flavors though, and oat and maple sound like they’d be right up their alley. Can’t wait to make these!

My heart gets all fluttery when I see a blue star on my smitten kitchen thumbnail indicating an update. Many thanks. None of your recipes that I have tried have failed me. In fact, they’ve made me many new friends.

I’ve been on a bit of a maple syrup kick for the past, oh, 15 years. Buy it by the gallon! I’m going to bust out the DARK grade B for this one! Thank you, and thank you by the way for dinner–we had the butternut squash chickpea salad. And, the 11 month old ate the tahini coated squash–so success!

Those are some giant, meaty looking scones! I find that a good thing because when a baked good is skimpy I always go for two (or three), and then always feel bad. But these look quite substantial. Also, I’m glad you mentioned some new cookbooks. I’m in a rut, so I’ll definitely check them out; thanks!

I did the same thing when Heidi Swanson mentioned this cookbook! The very first thing I made were these scones. They are delicious. I rolled mine too thin so had more of a biscuit puck. Funny you should mention the toddler. My 3 year old inhaled them even a couple days later.

Just made these, except I substituted maple syrup for Lyle’s Golden and brushed them with milk instead of egg. Topped with fresh forest berry jam…amazing! Thanks for sharing! I’ll be blogging these with due credit :)

Sorry about the lack of sleep – just a suggestion – I think it might be time to have a 2nd baby! I mean as long as you aren’t sleeping now why not get those sleeplessness nights behind you in 1 fell swwop. My favorite posts of yours are you fancy schmancy cakes which we haven’t seen in a long long time! (hint hint)

I second, and third Martha and Mollie – you NEED the Flour cookbook! I was just looking at an oatmeal maple scone recipe in there the other day. And I recently made the chocolate cream pie recipe from it (with graham cracker crust instead) and it was really one of the best things I’ve had in a long time.

This Sunday is Maine Maple Sunday and I’m delighted to find new recipes for using maple syrup. My weekend will involve a breakfast date with my 4 year old (pancakes! syrup!) and then a visit to a local farm that makes syrup. I can’t wait. :)

These do look awesome – love whole-grain baking! I’m curious…why the “4 tablepoons” measurement instead of “1/4 cup” for the buttermilk and syrup? Does the recipe do better with a ‘generous’ 1/4 cup of these ingredients (which is likely to happen with four separate liquid measurements)?

I’m a new mom so I by no means know it all about babies/kids and sleeping BUT I did purchase a great sleep reference book called Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child that I have found very useful so far and expect to get lots more use out of it in the future with it’s easy-to-use reference section where you can find guidance sorted by age and/or specific issues you’re dealing with. Just thought I’d throw this out there. Good luck and thanks for all the great recipes!!

I also appreciate the use of whole grains without harping on the healthfulness of it. Sometimes whole grain recipes are apologetic. As in, sorry these aren’t light and tender, it’s whole wheat, at least it’s healthy. Kinda sad. I’ve been counting on Heidi for delicious whole grain recipes for a while now. Glad I can get them from you, too!

These look amazing! Maple syrup season is in full swing here ~ I love “real syrup”! I love that these are whole wheat….I can’t wait to try them! I might not be able to wait for a brunch with friends; I just might have to hoard them all to myself :-)

Just want to say I also have a thing for cookbooks (I sit down and read them for hours, for fun), and I cannot wait to add yours to my collection.

I made scones for the first time a couple weeks ago, using your lemon & cranberry scone recipe. They were delish, and easy. I’m excited to try these because I adore oatmeal bread. There’s just something about the chewiness…

I think these are my dream scone! I love that they have wholemeal flour and oats. I’m definitely going to find this little cookbook – it sounds fantastic. My recent purchase, The Flavour Thesaurus (which is amazing!), I justified by telling myself that it’s not strictly a cookbook, more like an encyclopaedia of flavours, right? It’s a beautiful book and I’d highly recommend it!

I love how perfectly cylindrical these are and how you can see the different layers pulling apart. I’m with you on the cookbook problem. I get them at the library but often end up buying later on. I just had a look at this book too, also because Heidi mentioned it. I did not know of the Russian Heritage Cookbook though–next request via interlibrary loan, and I *need* a Russian cookbook after all.

If you’re on a cookbook buying tear, the post I just wrote might not be good for your wallet…but I think you’ve probably read/heard of most of them. If you don’t have the Clinton St. Baking Company cookbook, get it. It is such an amazing read.

Can you imagine these with thick-cut maple bacon and two eggs over easy… I think I just died and had the best breakfast ever.
Thanks so much for sharing, these look perfect for my weekend brunch dish I am planning. :)

I must own this book now. Also, these scones look like some scones that I had at Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station, CA. I’ve been looking for a similar recipe for ages, and I think this is it! Theirs had apple and rhubarb in them, so I’m gonna try adding in some when I try these!

These scones are a beautiful thing..and I do not even like scones! Many thanks for sharing your……recipes/family/etc. This is a great blog and I totally enjoy your…mien! I have been lurking for a long time.

And I thought I was the scone queen! Yours sound really great with the whole wheat flour and oats. I keep finding new variations. My most favorite recent variation was apricot and pecans with minced crystallized ginger.

These scones look wonderful, Deb! And almost healthy, right?! I’ll be giving them a try this weekend, hopefully. Thanks for always taking the time to give the recipe in grams, as well as the regular version — so helpful. Hope you get some sleep soon!

yuuuuuuuuuum. I became addicted to maple syrup while in the States. On cookbook recommendations (cos, you know, you can NEVER have too many), I highly highly highly recommend Bourke Street Bakery (Sydney repository of amazing-ness). Hidden amongst all the sweets and pastries is a very good recipe for sweet potato and lime pickle pie.

I’m a new reader but really like your blog! I live in Gothenburg on the West coast of Sweden, and my family (husband and 7-yr-old daughter) like to travel to and within the U.S on our holidays (mostly been in Florida, though – Disneyworld…). I really enjoy finding nice blogs with good American recipes that we try to re-create at home, and dream ourselves away to our next holiday!

Well, this is a coincidence – just last night I was thinking of making a scone to go with our carrot soup- and thought: “wouldn’t it be nice to make one with wholesome oats in it?” I didn’t, but maybe tonight……

Wait, I thought the sleep fairy had left my house to go to your place? She stood us both up? I pretty much have every ingredient in the house to make these except for the whole wheat flour and don’t want to go out and buy it for half a cup. What would you substitute it with? half a cup of regular flour or perhaps oats? Thanks

I lost sweet taste buds in cancer treatment, and hope they don’t come back (I think)…. Chocolate, maple, caramel: the essence of the taste without the distracting “sweet” emphasis is unbelievably delicious. Fruits are often that way too: berries, stone fruits, but apples are simply astringent and bitter. Vegetables, well…. I am getting used to the changes in tastes of vegetables. Not as interesting as the things that are no longer “sweet”.
Ahhh yes, I remember that belly on my little ones, so many years ago. I’m waiting for grandchildren now: none in sight yet. I look at every pic you post of Jacob. I am loving watching him grow up; thank you.

These look great! They’re very similar to a Ina Garten Maple Scones recipe but she adds a maple syrup glaze which is both delicious and beautiful to look at. And surprisingly, it only adds a little sweetness so it’s not overwhelming.

If you are looking for another great cookbook, there is one called The Brownie Experience. I was never a brownie person, but I found the cookbook so charming that I had to buy it…then I started a business based on the recipes I got out of there.

I have to mention I love recipes that use the weight measurement. I think all recipes should put weight either in grams or ounces because one person’s cup of flour can vary between 4 ounces and 5 ounces and that makes a huge difference in the end result…a paperweight scone or a light airy scone!

You had me at oaty whole wheat maple syrup scones. Thank you! I’ve tried at least 5 different recipes for maple oat scones, and haven’t yet found “the one.” Even Cook’s Illustrated let me down on this one. These are phenomenal!

I love Ina Garten’s maple oatmeal scone (which is very similar, but with white flour). It’s one of my favorite things to make for brunch. And I hope your little one starts sleeping better! My son (18 month) just started sleeping through the night, and it has been a dream. I think I’m close to being a real person again. Ha.

I am glad to read that I am not the only one on a cookbook buying spree. I’ve started to feel guilty and wonder what I will do when I run out of shelf space. I will likely stop buying, at least for a few weeks, that will give me time to locate more space and pretend that I don’t spend that much on cookbooks. Beautiful looking scones, I would have enjoyed them for breakfast.

Love your recipes and all the stories that accompany them. I bet these would freeze well! I freeze scones before baking and pop them in the oven, still frozen in the morning. It’s a great thing for a single person when the recipe makes way more goodness that one can eat at a sitting or even over the course of a weekend!

The Frog Commissary Cookbook is one of my most favorite cookbooks. If you haven’t seen it (it’s been out of print for a while now) try to find it via inter-library loan so you can assess whether or not it should join your cookbooks…. and check out their coffee-walnut-chocolate chip muffins…..

“whole wheat flour” – I would assume that means whole wheat pastry flour but want to check it out before I make what I was absolutely craving for this morning but it’s too late since I ended out with a piece of really good rye bread and lots of butter with a little sprinkle of sugar – (not even a substitution but…).

This post made me realize I was missing a category for scones and biscuits. I fixed it!

Julie — I used regular whole wheat flour, as that’s what the recipe called for. If you’ve got ww pastry flour, use it.

Christine — The recipe doesn’t specify quick-cooking or anything, so I’m sure they meant the old fashioned kind. I just keep the one-minute stuff on hand (in a canister, sheesh) for the kid’s breakfast.

Nuts about food — Swap white flour for the whole wheat.

Sarah — I suggest a pastry blender in the recipe as an option. I always use one.

May I suggest – black out shade for your charge’s bedroom. As the mornings get brighter my little bean gets up earlier and earier. We ordered thema week ago and they are being installed as I type. Today was 6:30 – hoping a wake up time around 7:30 tomorrow. Crossing my fingers. I’ll give these scones a shot once I get some sleep.

So I’ve been reading your blog since the ivillage days and more than half of my favorite and best recipes are from your blog. I’ve always been impressed by your blog and your cooking but now I am just blown away! I spent a few days in Manhattan last week and I always knew space was at a premium so apartments are on the small side. I’ve seen your pictures of your apartments over the years too but I didn’t quite realize HOW small most kitchens are and the fact that you can make such deliciousness in such limited space is amazing!
Also, saw the blurb in this month’s (last month’s?) House & Home – congrats!

The scones look beautiful but most beautiful is the picture including Ess A Bagels (yes, COVET the pumpernickels) and Russ and Daughter’s home made cream cheese. Please teleport to Portland, OR. Thanks Deb, you’re the best.

Cook’s Illustrated has a glazed maple-pecan oatmeal scone recipe I’ve been saving to try. They recommend toasting the oats (and they used 1 1/2c!) before mixing them in so they don’t get too soggy. Would you consider that if you were making these again?

ironchefman — No reason not to try it, but there’s nothing soggy about these scones. The dough is much drier that most American scone recipes I see. It bakes up just as lovely (see above: all that butter) but there’s nothing damp about them

Shari — Sleep deprivation, lots of cooking = indeed, two burns on the back of my right and one on the palm from Wednesday, when I forgot that the handle of a cast iron skillet recently removed from the oven would be hot. They look much worse than they feel.

As a person who loves her sleep, I really feel your pain! I wish I had some good advice for you on how to get that little cutie to sleep, -unfortunately I don’t. It seems that your lack of sleep and all the cooking you’ve been doing have resulted (am I seeing this right?) in a nasty burn on the back of your hand. Ouch! As for the scones, -I’ve always been more of a biscuit person, but I’ve really been warming up to scones lately, and these look like they’d be right up my alley. Thanks for all you do.

I am on a crusade to lower my cholesterol (more oat and whole grains!) without medication–this may be the answer! Sorry to hear about your sleep deprivation–it only prepares you for the later years when your up wondering where they are and if they will be home at a ‘reasonable’ hour:).

Do you have a list of favorite cookbooks posted anywhere? I own a few that you have mentioned in different posts, and am always looking for more. Aside from reading through every post to find what cookbooks you have, might be nice to have them posted somewhere. Maybe have a cookbook section on your good reads page?

I love scones and love this post about some that I know I’ll have to try! I’ve just bookmarked the cookbooks you mention and can’t wait to get my hands on them. As I think about your cookbook collection and your tiny apartment, I wonder if you have tips on how to store them? Keep them organized? Do you rotate them by season? I have my tried and true books out at all times, but often forget about some great ones because they’re tucked away. Any advice? And, by the way, I can’t wait to buy your book when it comes out!

I highly recommend taking cookbooks out of the library. The NYPL has tons, including a lot of recent titles. It’s a great way to see if the book is worth the investment (of both money and, for us small-apartment-dwellers, space) before you make it.

Plus, living here in London one hears a lot about the chef Yotam Ottolenghi… I made his Kisir today, with a great result (herb-y, fresh, and lemony – perfect for spring sunshine)http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/kisir

hey Deb, I’ve had sleep issues off and on for a long time. I have never been a big herbal tea drinker, but I tried Teekane Herbal Tea’s “Relaxing Honey Vanilla Bliss.” I won’t insult you by putting up a url on your page. I found it at the local “Giant” grocery in VA for $3.49 a box. Sleeping straight through now. :) Scones look great. My coworkers love B-Boy Bait. ;)

I too noticed the burn on your poor hand. I hate them because the leave marks on me! My OB once sat me down and asked me if someone was hurting me…! Took several minutes to convince him that I’m just clumsy when it comes to hot ovens. His prescription: asbestos, elbow length mitts… Hope you heal up soon.

Deb,
These look wonderful and I will make them to help out at an art show to benefit children in Haiti next month. My newest, most important tip from America’s Test Kitchen is to use frozen unsalted butter and grate it into the dry ingredients. Simple, can be done ahead and held in the freezer and is an amazingly easy thing to do! Love, love the results!

Megan — I’m big on editing down — I do it with belongings, I’ll do it with cookbooks. I looked at my cookbook collection a few months ago (as we had to clear the shelves so that they could be reinforced so that a certain toddler wouldn’t pull them down on himself, ayeeee) and realized that it really didn’t reflect my cooking preferences much. I won’t get into which books I apparently own and really could give a, uh, “hoot” about but it seemed time to bring it up to speed. I think that’s what brought on the cookbook buying tear. Now I’ll thin out the collection of books I wasn’t using.

Dee — I don’t have a list. I’m not a huge cookbook collector, although that is changing. I used to blame lack of space but I realize I’d rather have a small but tightly edited collection of books, rather than an exhaustive one of all the books I’d probably enjoy (and many here) that it just wasn’t the right time for me to buy.

Claire/Foodiebia — It would have been, but we’d already sent him packing for the weekend. :)

These look awesome! Perfect, considering we just made a fresh batch of maple syrup from my boyfriend’s family’s property (waaaaay up north in central Ontario). I probably drank an entire cup of it when I was pouring the freshly boiled syrup into mason jars for storing!

Another cookbook for you to look at, and my favourite for the past year since my mum bought it for me, is called “The Stop”. It’s a volunteer run kitchen/garden in Toronto that hosts classes for underpriviledged kids in the city, while also having a food bank/drop in center. The local/seasonal food in their cookbook is perfect!

These look delicious! I am a huge fan of taking a decadent treat and adding a few healthy items to make it feel not quite so naughty. I’m making these this weekend! Also, take heart, the sleep fairy will return. Just in time to have another?

Can’t wait to try these scones. In fact, the bookmark to your site on my browser is set to the ‘dreamy cream scones’ page… just because i love making and eating them. Btw, i use frozen blueberries in that recipe and they turn out great!

The sleep fairy– love it! I must get this cookbook!! I love maple ANYTHING, and I bet it’s a great flavor in these scones. And you wouldn’t be a foodie if you spent your free time sleeping, now would you? :)

Rachel — When I make scones in advance, I freeze them and bake them directly from the freezer. Same with biscuits. I am actually doing this as we speak, so I can bring freshly baked scones to a playdate tomorrow morning.

Oy. Love your blog, but whole grains are hardly healthful! On the contrary, they tear up one’s digestive tract and cause the release of excessive insulin (the latter = not much different from the net result of consuming white flour) that’s anything but good for one’s bod. (On the contrary, insulin-release promotes pesky fat storage and causes pervasive tissue inflammation. Ouch.)

I saw some similar scones on ina’s show on food network and I just about threw in the towel when she said “4 sticks of butter” holy heart attack batman!! I feel muuuuuch better with this recipe, plus the whole wheat… Win-win! Thanks for sharing!!

The scones look just dreamy in that first picture! I actually just bought this book too- after seeing it showcased on the 101cookbooks library site (which is awesome btw!). As much as I do find the photography throughout the book gorgeous, and think the recipes sound delicious, I just cannot get over all of the editorial oversights in this book! In fact, I find it so frustrating, that while I’ve spent every night this week curled up with Jamie Oliver’s “Jamie at Home,” which I purchased at the same time, my BLT is slowly gathering dust on my bedside table. At least it adds some color to my bedroom!

Years ago when was living in CA I got completely addicted to Starbucks oatmeal maple syrup scones. I ate one every morning for about 3 years and never got sick of them. Since that time I’ve tried se4veral recipes to duplicate that particular scone and The Barefoot Contessa is the closest, but the scone was too light from using white flour. So when I do my next grocery shop, I’ll get the ingredients for your recipe because it sounds closer to Starbucks.

As for cookbooks, are you familiar with Jessica’s Bisquits? http://www.ecookbooks.com/
I used to live around the corner from their retail store right outside Boston, and the store carries hundreds upon hundreds of remaindered cookbooks at amazing markdowns. If you’re in the Boston area anytime, I’d be thrilled to take you on a tour. It is the world’s largest collection of cookbooks! I got the Flour Bakery book there, and I am also thrilled with that particular tome.

Your scones look absolutely lovely. I think that humble scone does not get the recognition that it should. Maybe all they need is a little TLC and some enticing additions and they will be the next macaroons or whoopie pies :)

Nice looking scones! My mouth is watering right now. I will have to put these on my list to make. They’d make a good cream tea smothered in jam and cream.
I will be visiting more frequently now! Thanks

My fiance and I saw the pictures of these a few days ago on your Flickr and were debating over what they might be. He thought whole wheat biscuits, but with your history, I thought they might be some sort of scone. They look delicious!

Yellow is sleepy-time, green he can wake me up (and we set the times). He sleeps through the night now (most nights) and doesn’t wake up until 7:30 or so (we set the color change for 7:00). I suddenly am able to remember what I’m talking about!

I’d highly recommend any cookbook by Sara Foster of Foster’s Market in Durham, NC. She is a Northeast transplant but her baked goods can’t be beat. And she takes traditional southern specialties and gives them some glam!

I made them and they were great (notice i said ‘were’). I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and about a cup of chopped toasted walnuts to the dough (it held together fine) and they tasted amazing. I also coated the top with coarse sugar for a beautiful finish. thanks!

I’ve been coveting the Rose Bakery cookbook since learning about the 101 Cookbooks cook-a-long. Actually, her library site is generally dangerous for those who are inclined to buy cookbooks.

My partner and I have vowed not to buy any more cookbooks until our latest round of purchases qualify as well used. Luckily, they include the Ready for Dessert, Good to the Grain and Around My French Table. Along with my partner’s recent gluten-free cookbook purchases, they should keep us busy and well-fed for a while.

Before the Lunn bread, perfecting scones and biscuits has been my obsession. I’d never really given scones much of my attention because they seemed so biscuit like and eating them dry with coffee just didn’t hold any appeal. Well, I was wrong, (surprise!) the ones I’ve worked out are wonderful, but I’m ready for something will a little more texture from the dough. The oats and the maple are what appeal to me in this recipe(I’ve just finally scored some maple sugar candy and can not wait to crumble it up and use it in something…squee!) I can’t imagine getting the desired lightness from a dry dough, though. Are they very heavy? Did they suggest you fold the dough to get some flakiness or layering at all? The handling here is really baffling me.

I’m really interested that these worked using oats and wholewheat flour. I have a fear of baking because I’ve failed at making scones, partly through using wholewheat flour. I usually make muffins which are much more forgiving. You’ve motivated me to give it another go.

I also never make as many as the recipe says… I thought I was just being overgenerous!

Great looking recipe, Deb. In relation to sleep, can I just reassure you? All three of my kids (now all grown-ups) slept through the night – and then didn’t – and then did again. Trust me, it will happen, and you will once again get some sleep yourself. Just keep the faith!

Deb, I’m still new to this awesome world of yours, so I’m catching up on your posts slowly (working mom with kids, et al, you know how it is). I really need to know your thoughts on convection in baking. All your baked goods have this perfect golden cast, not a shade of variability, no dark bits at the edges or dusky outliers. I have a fancy thermador oven and can’t manage to get a single baked good cooked evenly.
So a 3 part question: 1. convection for baking or no; 2. what parts of the oven should be optimized for baking; and 3. how best to load the oven when, for example, baking 3 cake layers or more?
BTW I’ve been making dutch pancakes for years, and they absolutely will not reach the absurd heights they used to in my old oven. I’m bummed, and think my current oven’s got a bad attitude. What kind of oven are you working with?

Hi Salma — I’ve never cooked in convection before! Like, ever. I have a very junky gas oven and I always always always rotate my pans midway through the baking cycle, something I’m so religious about that I cannot even tell you if my oven bakes unevenly (though most do) because I’ve never found out.

Sooz — They’re on the heavy side for scones, but I didn’t find them overly so. I actually attributed it more to their suggested height, and a little less to the assumed culprits, oats and whole wheat flour. Nothing in the recipe about folding, but if the butter is cut or rubbed into the flour like you would for pie dough, it does cause the layer separation you can see a little of in my photo.

btw i love your well-loved, blackened baking trays (pic 1). I’m so sick of ina garten pulling out her sparkling sheet pans, as if anyone in the universe who cooks actually owns such pristine bakeware. Here here for depicting a real working home kitchen in action!

It unexpectedly snowed this morning and I immediately thought, “I MUST make those scones!” We didn’t have maple syrup so I substituted Agave syrup and added a little cinnamon. They came out beautifully!

I too was seduced by this post and made these scones this morning. Has anyone else found them incredibly dry? I added an extra 1/4 cup of milk, and would have added more, except the recipe clearly stated to not let it get sticky…the final result was scones that were tasty, but so so dry, and they completely crumbled apart when I cut them open to put jam and butter on. What went wrong?

I’ve always had great luck with Deb’s recipes (thanks Deb!) so I was surprised that these were so disappointing.

Deb,
Thanks for another winner! I made these this morning, adding about six ounces of chopped apricots and a generous half-cup of chopped walnuts. I omitted the egg wash, and made them in wedges since I couldn’t find my round cookie cutter. They’re very tasty, and the whole house smells great! I think next time I’ll try to cut down the butter a little bit, perhaps substituting applesauce for part of it. . .

Deb- I made these this morning and they turned out perfectly. I made 8 3″ scones and was so pleased that they weren’t too sweet and still very light and moist despite the WW flour and oats. What is it about the word “scone” that is so comforting and compelling..? Thanks for another great go-to recipe. Cheers!

I feel your pain… I have a 17 month old who’s not very good in the sleep department. My other two (7 & 5 years old) have also been up this week for some reason. If you find your sleep fairy, can we share her/him for a bit until my returns?

I made these and they were very tasty. Using the weights I did have to add a fair bit of extra milk to get them to the right consistency, then made them small and baked for 20 min. Loved the whole grain flour (used spelt) and oats in there. Great enough to make for company for breakfast or brunch or afternoon tea. Thanks for the recipe; will make again!

These are so delicious. I visited a friend earlier today who had just baked them. I had three, then came home to bake them myself. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I added a splash of maple syrup to the egg glaze. So moreish!

P.S. – I read that the scones could be stale, so I put the leftovers in a ziploc bag in the fridge after the ‘fresh out of the oven’ ones were consumed. 2 days later, I pull one out, pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, and eat it with a glass of milk. Not as scone-y as before but still DELISH.

Thanks for your advice on the flour. I made these on the week end and they were great. I made the dough and cut them out in the evening and stored them in the fridge. Then I just baked them in the morning before my coffee. They were perfect. I also froze the baked ones and defrosted them the next morning since you mentioned the got stale quickly. That also worked very well. Linked to your post, just to let you know.

I love that the dough is not sticky – that means I will probably actually make these on a more regular basis. Made these for a brunch yesterday and I dearly love them. I want to try making them bigger next time.

Thank you thank you thank you for providing metric weights of dry ingredients. As you implied, one person’s cup is not necessarily another and that goes double for those of us who cannot tolerate gluten. If I have the metric weights I can substitute my own gluten-free flour blend gram for gram, but with cup measurements all bets are off. When I baked with wheat I always weighed my ingredients anyway, so that feels natural to me. If you always included gram equivalents in your recipes (hint) I’d be such a happy camper.

I made this yesterday and they were a big hit! They didn’t rise or get that “layered” look though – could it be because my butter was at room temperature and not cold? Any feedback appreciated, I am still learning the tricks of the baking trade!

Allie — Egg glaze right before I bake them. Though, honestly, I usually forget.

Holly — Cold versus room temperature could be a part of it. Cold butter will stay in small bits, those bits once they are baked release water/steam and create that layer separation. If the butter is already warm, it just gets mixed in.

Steph — There’s a note up top about why there have been a few baking recipes in a row.

I instantly recognized the cookbook in the photo – I have the same one! And, coincidentally, I just happened to brunch at Rose Bakery this Sunday in Paris. Their scones are delicious, as are their mini carrot cakes and date bars.

I saw this recipe yesterday, and immediately went home and made them! They turned out great, and I love the slightly sweet, buttery, whole grain-y flavor. I used all whole grains, with 1 cup of whole wheat flour and the rest oat flour. I know it compromises the texture a bit, but it’s how I like it. Thanks for the recipe.

We’ve company coming, and I’d planned to make my favorite oat scones for breakfast. Only to try them out, and find they were not the light, delicate lovelies I’d remembered, but rock-solid duds. Cursing and longing for a great oat scone has been my pastime, these past 24 hours.

I made these last week, substituting white flour for the whole wheat because I didn’t have any. Since I had some homemade granola lying around I substituted that for the oats, and I’m happy to say it worked well.

In my experience the scones need only 10 minutes to bake, but that may be because I was using a toaster oven. They didn’t rise much at all, but they were very tasty.

Great recipe Deb! I made these a couple days ago, but I wanted to use all ww flour, so I used 2 cups whole wheat flour instead of 1 3/4 cup all purpose + 1/2 cup whole wheat. They came out nice and light, then I popped the leftovers into the freezer and now I’ve got scones every day for lunch. Not quite as crunchy as when they’re straight out of the oven, but still delicious.

Hello
I just want you to know that I really have enjoyed your blogg for a long time,I am living just outside Oslo in Norway with my husbound and two kids age 8 and 11.
Today I had your Maple oat scones ready when they arrived home from school with friends, I got 12 out of the recepie, but they where all gone even before they had cooled down.

I have my eye on this recipe for an informal coffee/breakfast gathering this weekend; your suggestion that these are not overly sweet make me think they would be reminiscent of my local coffee house’s maple-oat scones, which I love… so much so that I’ll probably make these at some point regardless. That said, I don’t get the impression from the post that these scones blew you away (maybe it’s the lack of superlatives and “dreamy”). To please a general audience, do you favor an alternative breakfast baked good? What’s your strategy?

Meghan — I liked them a lot. They’re the kind of breakfast good that I would quickly buy at a bakery, and wish more sold them. I really don’t want to eat very sweet things with coffee on a Monday morning. However, as far as scones go, I consider these three Scone Perfection, Scones With Highest Honors, etc. and are the ones I more quickly would make for other people: Dreamy Cream Scones, Meyer Lemon and Fresh Cranberry Scones (though any lemon will do) and Apple Cheddar Scones. Hope that helps!

I’m a beginner cook and have been following your blog recently (since Feb) and LOVE your sweets recipe (half of my recipe bookmark are sweets from this blog, and I’m working through them, one cake per week so I won’t get too fat)…and I adore pics of your adorable Jacob but I’ll save that for another day.

One thing I’ve noticed is there are no steamed cake recipes. I know cake = baked in almost everywhere, but steamed desserts are quite common in some Asian countries (I’ve never seen an oven in anyone’s home growing up in China). It’s also impossible not to get a moist cake when steaming. Since you are infinitely a better cook than I and you have quite a variety of recipes here, I was wondering if you would consider venturing/dabble into steamed desserts? I’d be interested to know how you feel about them (I trust/like your recipe more than most other finds from Google and now use recipes here more than from allrecipe.com. Ha.)

Hi Deb, just reading through your last notes on this post. A friend of mine and I dream about the lemon cranberry scones. They are so delish. The only problem is that dough. So sticky!! Which is probably a good thing or we’d eat them way too often. I made the maple oat scones and they were delightful. Someone posted the idea of grating the butter and that worked fabulously. So much less work to incorporate it into the dough and the results were awesome. Next time I’m going to grate it with my food processor to make it even easier. Thanks for all the great recipes!

I made these last week for a friend and our 27 month old toddlers (both sleeping very well, mercifully – my 6 month old, not so much.) I used homemade butter, quick cooking oats and regular milk. I was utterly baffled by the “very heaping tablespoon” of baking powder – why not just say 1 1/2 Tbsp or 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp, etc.

I didn’t really notice the maple syrup flavor – I used Whole Foods’ Grade A Amber – perhaps I’ll use a darker syrup next time. These were delicious served with a cranapple butter I made from the Ball canning cookbook. Freezing an uncooked batch is a great idea! I will definitely do that next time to practice portion control – if I make a whole batch, I tend to eat the whole batch! The toddlers loved them and I loved that they had a much better ingredient list than your average breakfast pastry.

I browsed through all the comments (cheated of course with command-f) and didn’t see this asked/answered yet. Do you know how these would turn out if baked on a stone in the oven instead? I’ve only made pizzas on our stone so far, but I’ve read that scones and some breads like focaccia can be wonderful baked on a stone.

Krista — I want to give you a hug for using the Command-F! I know the comments are cumbersome, but so quick when you search, right? Pizza stone — no reason not to try it, but I fear it would make the bottoms too dark. Breads and foccacias are tougher than biscuits like this. However, you can always bake off one and see how it goes. And let us know!

Perfect — I’d been looking for a scone recipe with oats to recreate the ones we buy at the farmer’s market. These were very good. I didn’t use a cutter, but just cut the dough in 8 wedges (like for the dreamy cream scones, which are also very yummy!). Baked up 4 over the weekend and have another 4 waiting in the freezer. (Also, I measure things with a ruler when I’m baking, too. My husband thinks I’m crazy. I like to think of myself as detail-oriented.)

Thank you for these! I love stones. Lazy as usual I put all the dry stuff in the fp. Pulsed a couple times. Added chunks of very cold butter & pulsed until correct texture. Mixed rest in a bowl & added dry ingredients. Made a mistake & rolled too enthusiastically so folded dough in half, gave a couple licks of the rolling pin & cut. The layers separated, but I just stuck the top back on, glazed them & baked. Perfect – instant pull apart layers for butter/jam! Great coffee dunkers.

I made these the other day with some substitutions. I used mostly spelt flour with a smaller amount of Red Fife wheat flour. I also used stevia instead of sugar. I got 10 of them and they came out looking very lovely. However, they were very dry and crumbly so perhaps I didn’t blend the ingredients enough by hand before forming them (I was afraid of overworking the flour tho’). Perhaps I should have used low-fat buttermilk instead of skim to get some moistness…
Any ideas?

For BEST maple taste, try and get your hands on some Grade B… ‘B’est for cooking. Dark, with an amazing woody maple taste. We here in VT know our maple syrup. Just made some maple streusled corn muffins..

Yesterday morning I made both these scones (followed your recipe exactly…next time I will sugar the tops) and your perfect blueberry muffins. I figured the kids would gobble up the muffins while I basked on the deck with my coffee and a delicious, nutritious scone (or two).
I was wrong.
The kids…all 5 of them… LOVED the scones…sigh..I did at least get one.

I just made this yesterday for brunch and they were delicious! My picky toddler ate some (success!) and my husband said they were the “best biscuits” I’ve ever made. To be fair, they are quite biscuity, but just the right amount of sweet/salty/oaty and delicious! I used a coarse salt (no table salt available) and I think it worked well to balance the sweetness. I also used the weight measurements of the recipe and it worked perfectly (for anyone who is wondering). nomnomnom….

Hi! I LOVE your site. I love the recipes and the photos. I’ve been shamelessly telling everyone I know to look it up and enjoy. The NY Deli Rye bread was my first recipe I tried from here, and it was a huge hit. I just finished reading through the maple oat scones and am headed to my teeny tiny kitchen to try them. I saw you are on a cookbook splurge and thought I would recommend a few that are dog eared and stained from my kitchen – Cooking from Quilt Country : Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens by Marcia Adams (which by the way has a recipe for homemade spaetzle in it) and More Muffins: 72 Recipes for Moist, Delicious, Fresh-Baked Muffins by Barbara Albright and Leslie Weiner. Both are used almost daily in my kitchen.
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog!

Just wanted to note that I made these last weekend, and they were DELICIOUS. Buttery, lightly sweet and biscuit-y in an awesome way. I did have to add about twice the amount of milk to get the dough to come together at all, but I was using almond milk, so that may have affected the proportions.

Same as Amy here in terms of adding additional milk, but then, I expected that; it’s a cool, dry day here. We loved these! Made them to the letter, but added a generous cup of fresh cranberries, roughly chopped. No, wait: didn’t have enough maple, so made up the difference with cane syrup. Also, forgot to add vinegar to the milk. Scratch that part about made them to the letter. But they were delicious: hearty, tender, buttery, flavorful. Thanks, Deb.

Am new to Smitten Kitchen, but found it to suck up ridiculous amounts of my time! (In a good way.) I too have found a love for making scones as they are easier then I had originally imagined. But I do have a question….what is the difference between a biscuit and scone, is it simply the shape? Because you have cut out your scones like a traditional biscuit….I know in scones cream and fruits are typically added whereas in biscuits generally no cream. Just curious.

These scones are amazing! I doubled the recipe, added a bit more maple syrup (nothing but Vermont Maple) and had a stress free brunch in my NYC apartment on the UES. I am in love with your blog and cannot wait until you come out with your book.

Finally got around to making these. My husband told me he didn’t like scones. He just walked in and took a bite from my 4 yr old’s scone. Had to get his own and gobbled it up. I would say a success. Thanks for another great recipe. Oh, you wouldn’t happen to have a maple glaze to top it off?

I’ve made these 3 times in less than 7 days! Not only are they super simple, but so comforting. The subtle sweetness and biscuit-like quality make them irresistible. I just love these so much. I’ve done them using a typical biscuit cutter, a heart shaped cookie cutter and just recently did them drop biscuit style. All turned out soooo good. Put out your cookbook already so I can have all of these in one location vs. a million sheets stuck to my fridge! :)

Deb,
Long-time lurker, first-time commenter here. Let me get the obligatory gushing out of the way: thank you for all your amazing recipes, and I can’t wait until your cookbook comes out. In short, I’m a huge fan.

Just made these to send back to uni with my visiting son (sons are very nice when they’re 20, just an FYI). Fabulous, he’d better pack them and get out before I eat them all and get fat! Thanks once again, Deb!!

I make it exactly as written; no subs; they come out great every time. They are crumbly and on the dry side, but very tender; barely sweet; the oats add something magical to the texture (I use old-fashioned). I don’t use egg wash (never do with scones). As with all other scones, i prefer to make and shape the dough the night before and stick them freezer; bake on the morning they are needed. I divide the dough in 2, pat each half into a circle and cut into 6 wedges, thus producing 12 med. size scones.

Served these today to my mom; she almost fainted with pleasure; they are that good!

I made these scones this morning and it has filled our home with the best aroma of buttery-goodness. I ended up adding quite a bit more milk to make the scones take shape. Otherwise, a fantastic recipe. There are miscellaneous left over alternative flours (rye, quinoa, etc) in our pantry, might do a substitution next time.

The flavor of these is great, but I was spoiled by making your dreamy cream scone recipe first. These are hard and dry by comparison – more like a grocery store bakery scone. I shouldn’t have been surprised since this recipe has 3/4 cup more dry ingredients but half the wet compared to the cream scone recipe. However, like a bought scone, these are good eats with scalding coffee.

hi there… i hope you will still see this… but i was just hoping you could help out a super novice baker; i would like to replace the all purpose flour with either oat flour or whole wheat pastry flour… is that ok, or will it completely ruin the scones?

thank you so much… i just made them for thanksgiving b.f. (canadian thanksgiving is today), and they turned out lovely… although, i replaced the sugar with coconut palm sugar and i think it might have overwhelmed the maple-y taste… or perhaps my maple syrup wasn’t strong enough… will have to experiment… thanks again…

just made these on Sunday and they were delicious. as always, Deb, your recipes work like a dream and never disappoint in the taste department. thanks for all of the work you clearly put into testing them – YUM!

I made these today with Maine Blueberry syrup from Stonewall Kitchen. Came out AMAZING. For those of you who have not had Maine blueberries they are a must try; they taste so much better than regular blueberries i have found. THESE ARE A MUST TRY

Just made these this morning and found in the middle of things that I’d run out of maple syrup. I’m happy to report that you can easily substitute 1/4 cup brown sugar and an additional 1/4 cup buttermilk with excellent results!

I made these today (again) and made them vegan for a friend who was visiting. I swapped the butter for coconut oil and the milk for coconut milk. I was worried the coconut flavor would be too strong, but it wasn’t. I also added apples and walnuts. With the modifications, I didn’t taste the maple flavor enough to justify using that much of it–if I make them vegan again, I will use brown sugar and a little extra milk instead of the maple syrup. And they do freeze up beautifully!

Am I the only one who literally had butter dripping into the bottom of the oven? Did anyone else make them or just read the recipe. Of course, they taste great but all that wasted butter! : ) and now I have to clean the oven. : (

Hi ! I finally tried this recipe this morning (we’re only two so I halved it to make 4 scones – and replaced whole wheat flour with all-purpose since I really dislike the taste) and they were amazing. My boyfriend never had scones (not so common in France) and he fell in love with them :)
Thanks for sharing !

These are easy and delicious. I used regular oats. I did need a tiny bit more milk, even though it’s so humid here. Next time I think I’ll use a little more maple syrup, to hopefully make the flavor more pronounced.